The Chinese technology and telecom company Huawei is working on its own electric car. This year, the first models may already appear on the market, reports Reuters news agency based on anonymous insiders.
The company itself, which is facing US sanctions, denies plans for a plug-in car.
According to the insiders, Huawei has started internally with the design of electric vehicles. The company is also said to be in talks with Chinese car manufacturers to use their factories for car production. Huawei may then have the electric cars assembled by a subsidiary of the industrial state group BAIC.
If Huawei moves to electric cars, it will be a major shift in the company’s activities. Now the company mainly earns money from the sale of smartphones and equipment for telecom networks.
This is becoming increasingly difficult as the United States has imposed sanctions against Huawei for alleged close links with the Chinese military and potential risks of espionage. As a result, US suppliers cannot sell their wares to the company without a special permit. The sale of products containing American technology, such as chips, has also been restricted.
An expansion to electric cars could offer a solution for Huawei. Homeland China is currently the largest market for these vehicles. The Chinese government strongly stimulates the switch to electric driving to combat the heavy air pollution in the country. Electric cars are estimated to account for a fifth of all cars sold in the Asian country by 2025.